Stories of Poverty

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About the Project

Voices of Poverty began in 2011. It was conceived by author and founder Sasha Abramsky, as a part of a project, funded by the Open Society Foundations' Special Fund for Poverty Alleviation, to chronicle hardship in 21st century America. More »

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Luann Prokop, Schuylkill, Pennsylvania

In the town of Minersville, Pennsylvania, Luann Prokop had a $60,000 per year job as an accountant. She was laid off, and then spent two years applying to hundreds of jobs with no success. Having burnt through all her savings, she now works two jobs that, collectively, bring in $27,000 annually. Prokop talks about the depression her odyssey triggered in her, the meals she began to miss owing to a lack of money, and her fears about a destitute old age.